of the Church For the Duty or Office of the chiefe Magistrate in the maintaining the second Table I néed not say any thing for none is so ignorant as not to know that the procuring of the ciuill good of men belongs to the Supreme Gouernour For the power of Magistrates Sée the Scriptures in the Answere vnto the Question and for this they are called Gods the Sonnes of the most High not by Nature but by Office and Dignity being the Images of God his Deputies Royall on earth The Ministers also of God c. Whose Power it is better and fitter for Subiects to feare and obey then to dispute or determine Eccl. 8.3.4 Concerning the duties of Subiects The first is Reuerence which is a godly subiection in Heart Word Déed Thinking and Iudging honourably of the Magistrate euen of the lowest Looking not to his person whether good or bad but the Person he representeth which is GOD. Speaking reuerently Ex. 22.28 Act. 23.5 1. Reg. 1.23.31 Vsing all lowly Gestures Yea this requires that Subiects interpret the sayings and doings of the Magistrate to the best and to conceale couer their faults giuing feare to whom feare honour to whom honor belongeth The second Duty is Obedience Eccl. 8.2 to be performed by all persons and in all things possible the contrary whereof God commandeth not though hard and vnequall not examining what it is which is commanded but being content with this Mat. 22.21 that it is commanded And this obedience must be to all Gouernours to the King as Superior and to the rest appointed by him 1. Pet. 2.13.14 and to these whether Christian or Heathen Good or Bad Mercifull or Cruel for there is no power but of God Rom. 13.1 The third is Piety that Subiects pray for their Gouernours Yea 1. Tim. 2.1 Ier. 29.7 though they were Infidels or Wicked Thus did Daniel Thus did the Ancient Christians for the Heathen Emperours for their long life and safety for their Issue Of-spring for their quiet Gouernment that their Councell might bée Wise and Faithfull their Armes Victorious their People Loyall c. The fourth is Faithfulnesse which requireth that Subiects be quiet and peaceable and true-hearted in all Loyall Alleageance that they be not Trayterous or Seditious raising or consenting to Tumults Insurrections Mutynies c. but that they reueale such things spéedily and that what they can by all good possible and lawfull meanes they do defend and kéep safe the Health Life Person Cause Crowne Dignity and Family of the Supreme Magistrate against all Opposites whatsoeuer 2. Sam. 16.9 20.22 21.16.17 2. Reg. 11.2.4 1. Ioh. 3.16 yea with the losse of their owne best bloud For if we must lay downe our liues for our Brethren much more for our Fathers The fift is Thankfulnes which is a ready and chéerfulloue which is to be shewed in a willing paying of tribute bearing such charges as are imposed by the King or superior magistrate in as much as the treasure of the King is the sinew of the common wealth and because he watcheth and careth for all Ro. 13.6.7 and defends all So Ioseph and Mary trauel willingly to be taxed Yea our Sauiour Christ Mat. 17.27 and Peter pay tribute none are exempt for if Christ and Peter then why not their successors And all these things Subiects are to doe chéerfully and willingly euen to wicked princes not only for feare but for conscience toward God 1. Pet. 2.18 Rom. 13.5 who accounts himselfe neglected resisted and opposed when his deputies are resisted opposed Rom. 13. or neglected Vse 1. First it is the duety of Ministers wel to instruct and to put their hearers in remembrance of these things that they may know their duetie to their Gouernors and performe allegeance accordingly wherein is a great part of the welfare of the Common wealth Tit. 3.1 Vse 2. Hence it appeareth that the Pope with his limbs are the great rebells of the world for not onely pulling their neckes as Ecclesiastical persons from the yoake of the Emperour and their Soueraignes but specially for seeking to ouerrule depose and destroy the kings and kingdomes of the earth Vse 3. Learne thy duty Thy calling is to be subiect Pray for the prosperity of the King his children and dominions Speake not euill Iude 8. but reuerence in word and déed the chiefe and all under-vnder-magistrates yea thinke not an euill thought Eccles 10.20 c. Beware of Sedition by the example of Corah Absolon Sheba c. Obey for conscience Quarrell not neither murmure at the commandement though vnequall hard if not impious to be done yea if it be doubtfull examine it not but obey Pay all subsidies taxes customes c. willingly yea though it goe hard with thée and thine and thou be faine to borrow it Do it of conscience and thou shalt be the more blessed in thy substance Remember Christ had it not when it was due and he willingly paid and surely if wee must willingly pay to a Heathen much more to a Christian religious mercifull and renowned king Draw not thy neeke out of the yoake and being able go not about to be eased of that which is thy duty in conscience to pay It is no part of a good subiect or of one that loueth his Prince or Common wealth to séek to be frée or to be eased oboue his Equalls in a common burthen the benefite whereof comes to himselfe It is a thing too much practised in these dayes to the great hindrance and dammage of the Kings excellent Maiesty the Countrey and many particular men Vse 4. Praise God for establishing so worthy religious peaceable learned and famous a King ouer vs through whom we enioy peace liberty plenty hope of succession and the swéete comfort of our Soules the holy Gospel And let all true hearted subiects pray for the safety preseruation of the person life crowne and dignity of our most gracious King Iames by the grace of God King of great Brittaine France and Ireland Defender of the Faith c. and in all Causes and ouer all Persons aswell Ecclesiasticall as Ciuill within these his dominions next and immediatly vnder Iesus Christ supreme Gouernour who is the very breath of our nostrils that God would blesse our most vertuous Q. Anne his wife our hopefull Prince Charles the Lady Elizabeth her Highnesse with her renowned Husband That God would direct with wisedome and pietie all the Honorable of his Maiesties Priuy Councell blesse all the reuerend Fathers of the Church that he would endue all the Nobles Gentrie of the Kings dominions with fortitude courage loyalty and all the graue Honorable Iudges right worshipfull Iustices and other inferior Magistrates with the knowledge and conscience of Equity Iustice and Right all the Ministers of the Word with abilitie of gifts and conscionable care and diligence in the Lords haruest all the Commons with peaceable loyall and religious minds and affections that God would hold backe the Iudgements we haue deserued and continue and increase vpon vs and our posterity his vndeserued mercies bodily and spirituall to his owne glory and the temporall and eternall comfort of vs all through our princely Sauiour Iesus Christ Amen So be it Now vnto the King euerlasting immortall inuisible vnto God onely wise be honour 1. Tim. 1.17 and glory for euer and euer Amen FINIS
of his Apparrell and outward shape Thus the Church on Earth is said to be Inuisible in regarde of the inward essentiall forme which is sanctity which cannot be seene with mans eie Hebr. 12.14 1. Ioh. 2.19 2. Tim. 2.19 Rom. 2.29 or Visible either in regard of the particular companies professing Christ or in regard of the outward forme which is the ministery of the Word and Sacraments by the which it is visible becauss these being the means whereby it is gathered and gouerned are visible Vse Examine how thou standest in the visible Church for many are called but few are chosen and many are in the visible which are not of the inuisible as the Lées are in the Vessell which are not wine nor of the wine It is not enough to be in Gods field vnlesse we be good corne not enough that we be in the body vnlesse we be members For if wee be wennes and spottes we must be purged and scowred off not enough to be in Gods floore vnlesse we be good Corne For hee will gather the Corne into his Barne but the Chaffe hee will burne with vnquenchable fire so not enough that thou arte among the Saints vnlesse thou be a Saint For C ham was in the Arke Saul among the Prophets Iudas among the Apostles and yet these are damned So thou mayst be baptized and ioined to the visible company of the faithfull yet if thou want the Spirit which quickens al the true members of Christs body to holinesse and righteousnesse of life thou art but a withered branch to be cut off and cast into the fire Looke therefore to thy standing Question What call you the Inuisible Church Ans It is the vniuersity of the Elect and Regenerate Rom. 2.29 which doe at any time or in any place professe and truely haue faith and conuersion to God Quest What is the visible Church Ans It is a company embracing and enioying the Ministery of the Word and Sacraments Mat. 28.19 Ephes 4 11 and professing the Gospel Quest What are the true notes of a true visible Church Ans The true proper and essentiall notes of a true Church are two namely The pure and incorrupt Ministerie and profession of the Word and Mat. 28.19 Act. 2.42 46. Ephe. 5.25 26. The lawfull Administration of the Sacraments to the which some adde Discipline Explic. Vnto those Scriptures in the answere which shew that the lawfull vse of the Word and Sacraments are the two genuine notes of a true Church because the Primitiue Church is so in them described You may adde concerning the Word these Iohn 8.31 and 10.27 and 14.23 1. Corint 4.15 Ephes 2.20 1. Tim. 3.15 And of the Sacraments these 1. Corin. 20.16 and 12.13 So that wheresoeuer there is a Company preaching and professing that Iesus Christ the Sonne of Marie is the Sonne of GOD Christ the Lord by whom onely and alone they séeke to be saued that Company is a true visible Church though there be many corruptions in the same Simon Magus was by Baptisme receiued into the Visible Church Acts 8.13 for an outward profession of Christ in word And the Corinthians were a true church euen then when they abounded with grosse corruptions as Paul denyeth not in his Epistles written vnto them These notes haue their degrées the more pure they are the more pure is the Church which hath them the lesse pure they are the lesse pure is a Church to bee accounted and where they are not all or wholely adulterated there either is no Church or a very corrupt one Now though Discipline be allowed and necessarily required to the well being of a Church yet a Company holding Christ and maintaining the Scriptures though they should want Discipline are a true though a defectiue Church It is the duty of the Church to vse Discipline but as a wife ceaseth not to be a true wife for the neglect of houshold gouernement so long as she kéepeth the mariage oath to herhusband vnbroken so a Church ceaseth not to be a true Church for some saults or neglects so long as she acknowledgeth her head Christ according to the Word Vse Withdraw not thy selfe from the fellowship of the Churches of God and if thou hast depraued the Church of England and separated from it repent of thy rash and vncharitable censures Remember what great things God hath done for the Church thou despisest and spit not in her face that hath brought thée forth to Christ Remember that God hath alwaies preserued a séed of Christ in our land euer since the first conuersion therof from Heathenisme which as a little leauen lay a long time hid in thrée peckes of meale as our Sauiour speaketh till at the last by the hand of a King Henry 8. it began to sowre the whole lumpe And after him remember how God raised him vp a Iosias to finish his fathers beginnings Afterward Edward 6. how it was watered with the bloud of as famous Martyrs as euer the world saw Then thinke how God miraculously preserued and gaue a Quéene to nurse this Church labouring Queene Elizabeth and almost fainting vnder afflictions yea such a Quéene as he neuer stablished in the Throne of any Kingdome since the day of Adams Creation And then consider how that when we reckoned that all our happinesse had béene ended and expected nothing but dissipation fire sword bloud and the ruine of Church and Common-wealth euen then the Lord beyond all expectation sent amongst vs a most tender Father our most gratious Soueraigne King IAMES whom God long preserue vnmatchable for mildnesse of Gouernment Vigilancy care for the good of all his subiects déepnesse of iudgement soundnesse of Religion and together with many other blessings whereby we are blessed in him for incomparable learning hauing to the admiration of the world with his Owne Pen defended and aduanced the truth And if thou standest vpon a right constitution remember that the replanters of the Gospell here were Kings and Princes and not without the preaching of the word Remember that the people of the land were not conuerted from Heathenisme by them as such which had no knowledge of Christ but from Papisme vnder which they had some knowledge of him Remember that if the Church were not rightly constituted by Quéene Elizabeth neither was it by King Henry the eighth and King Edward the sixth and so thou wrongest the ashes of the Martyrs as if they were not Martyrs of Christ but of Antichrist And say that there was something wanting in the first constitution cannot God forgiue it Nay hath he not forgiuen it How darest thou say the contrary Remember these things stay thy tongue from reuiling Israel and thy foot from withdrawing thy selfe from the people of God If thou wouldst haue Discipline we are not without it though without that of thy deuising If thou wouldst haue the preaching of the Word we haue it I may boldly say as soundly and powerfully
name of Christ that is by his authority according to his commandement yea this to be in force in all Churches euen which are vnder Christian Magistrates for otherwise doth the ciuill Magistrate punish otherwise the Church The Church aimeth at the repentance of the offender the ciuill Magistrate at the execution of iustice The Church procéedeth not to excommunication where the delinquent repenteth obeyeth The ciuil Magistrate notwithstanding the repentance of the party executeth the law as Ioshua notwithstanding the confession of Achan Ioshua 7. caused him to be destroyed Vse 1. All such whom it concernes to deale in Ecclesiasticall censures ought to beware of all filthy lucre faithfully discharge that which is cōmitted vnto thē to censure them which are prophane accordingly for the glory of God the good of the Church the repentance of them which offend and the furthering of their owne accounts at the last day Vse 2. Art thou prophane a drunkard a blasphemer an vsurer a breaker of the sabaoth c. deseruest thou to be stricken with the thunderbolt of excommunication yet escapest by thy purse or otherwaies yet know thou whatsoeuer thou art that although either through the corruption of them which excecute the same Discipline thou continuest in the fellowship of the Church yet in the account of the Lord thou art excluded from all spiritual priuiledges of the Church till thou repent not being worthy to sit among the dogs of the flocke as one may say the lesse thou answerest for here through the silence of the lawes the more thou hast to answere before Iesus Christ at the day of Iudgement Q. You seeme to say that where there is a Christian ciuill Magistrate there the Church ought to expect his consent and by his authority make Constitutions and Canons Do you then thinke that the Clergie or Church-men are subiect to the Ciuill Magistrate Ans Yes verily do I and so God plainly teacheth in his word Rom. 13.1 Tit. 3.1 1. Pet. 2.13 14.15 Let euery soule be subiect c. Whether Apostle Prophet or Bishop Q. What is the ciuill Magistracy or Gouernment Ans It is an ordinance of God for the good of men whereby they are gouerned by good lawes both Diuine and humane that publike peace may be preserued Rom. 13.4 Pro. 8.15 Dan. 2.21 Ioh. 19.11 the good maintained the euill punished the worship and glory of God set forth Q. What is the office of the ciuil Magistrate Ans The office of the supreme Magistrate is to keepe and maintaine both the Tables of the morall law Deu. 17.18 19. 2. Chro. 19 6. and to minister right iudgment iustice to his subiects Q. What is the power of the superior Magistrate Ans In things diuine it is limited by the word but in humane things and ciuill it is wonderfull large as namely to command all his subiects in matters concerning the publike good of all or the priuate good of some To compell all orders Ecclesiasticall or Ciuill to do their duties to punish the stubborne To command the bodies and goods of his subiects in matters lawfull To exact Tribute Custome Subsidies Taxes Tenthes c. for the maintaining of his honour and magnificence and for the bearing of the publike charge To make and confirme lawes for the ciuill policy of his Iurisdiction Iob. 34.18 Eccles 8.3 4. Dan. 5.19 and to define all matters and causes by the same And in a word the Ciuill supreme Magistrate is in all causes and ouer all persons as well Ecclesiasticall as Ciuill supreme Gouernour next vnder Christ 1. Sam. 15.14 as also in the examples of the good Kings of Iudah appeareth Q. What is the duty of Subiects Ans The duty of subiects may be referrred to these heads 1. Pet. 2.18 Rom. 13.1 Tit. 3.1 1. Tim. 2.1 2. Ier. 29.7 Pro. 24.21.22 Rom. 13.6 1. Reuerence 2. Obedience 3. Piety 4. Faithfulnesse 5. Thankfulnesse Expl. One of the greatest blessings which God hath giuen to men is Order and Gouernment without which through confusion all things would soone come to ruine For as a Ship without a Pilot so is a Company or Society of men without a King or other lawfull Magistrate Therefore it was well said of Tacitus That it is better to haue an euill Prince then none And of S. Chrysostome It is better to haue a Tyrant then no Gouernour And the Scripture maketh mention that the state of the people of Israel was neuer worse while they were a free people then when they were without continual Gouernours Yea Nature euen in reasonlesse bruite creatures acknowledgeth Order Gouernment as in the Bées c. This great benefite came from the Lord as all other good things The prime care of the Soueraigne Magistrate must be to maintaine the first Table of the Law Kissing the Sonne and doing homage vnto Christ and therefore to maintaine the true worship of God and to forbid and vtterly to extirpate the contrary And yet this so to be vnderstood the through the necessity of dangerous times he may suffer such as are superstitious and do erre that some Common-wealth and Religion may be had rather then none at all It belongs to the Prince to sée the the true Doctrine be taught but to administer the same teach it in publique it belongs to Ministers and Ecclesiasticall persons It belongs to his Authority to appoint ordinary iudgements Ecclesiasticall to maintaine Schooles Vniuersities c. wherby fit Bishops Ministers may beset ouer the Flock of Christ to make lawes whereby such Pastors Teachers may be directed corrected suspended depriued as matters shall require It is his Authority which may call and moderate Prouincionall Nationall Generall Syneds appoint Fasts c. Yea he ought to punish Heretickes Idolaters Blasphemers c. as well as Murtherers Théeues c. and to do all things which may further the Spirituall good of his Subiects and to take away the contrary Rom. 13.4 For he beareth not the Sword in vaine So Moses appointed the worship of God prescribed it to Aaron Dauid disposed the Ministery of the Tabernacle called a Conuocation or Synode for the bringing of the Arke Salomon dedicated the Temple deposed Abiathar Iehoshaphat commanded the Priests and Elders to visite the Churches and to restore the worship of God As also did other good Kings of Iudah as appeareth in their Stories which they did not onely of Piety but euen of Office So also haue Christian Emperours called Ccuncels moderated Controuersies of Religion aduanced good Bishops repressed bad and made Lawes concerning Bishops Ministers holy things for the welfare of the Church and the glory of God For the Magistrate is the Father of the Common-wealth yea Esay saith Esa 49.23 That Kings Queens are nursing Fathers and Mothers of the Church Constantine the Great said the the Bishops were Ouer-seers in the Church and Hee a Bishop or Ouer-seer out